Business owners and managers make decisions based on information that is available to them. When information is filtered or interpreted by others in an organisation, the facts behind that information become less visible. Examples of filtered information include: production data that is delayed or aggregated, paper-based forms that are too difficult to search and view,…
When business owners and managers promote safe work purely in terms of compliance they miss a golden opportunity. Promoting safe work as a compliance activity may cause staff to feel anxious about what the changes will mean for their work and how it aligns with the usual push for productivity. This can be resolved by…
Most business owners have a clear view of their business strategy. The difficulty often lies in implementing this. The usual approach is to communicate the strategic vision, assign tasks to managers in the organisation, modify the organisational structure, recruit talent and seek out new IT systems and equipment. Whilst this approach is valid, it is not sufficient to change…
According to the 2016 Deloitte survey into Global Human Capital Trends, 94% of Australian respondents rated business culture as an important area of competitive advantage. There are multiple ways to create and influence culture, such as socialisation of new staff, storytelling and identifying with shared values. One of the most effective ways we have found…
As companies grow they inevitably become more complex. If complexity is not well managed, problems occur and profits decline. Studies indicate that 15 to 30% of all operating costs in large businesses are due to unnecessary complexity (1). The causes of complexity are varied. Examples include: growth in products and services, taking on new customers, higher standards imposed by customers and so on. Whatever the…
We all recognise the importance of training. However, most business owners and senior managers don’t have the means to easily assess if training and licensing is up to date. Traditionally, keeping track of training plans and records is time-consuming and difficult to administer. It usually involves excel documents, paper records and filing. Consequently, training is hidden…
Obtaining ISO certification is usually seen as an annoyance to an otherwise well-functioning business; something that is added to the business to satisfy large customers and governments. Under these circumstances, business owners tolerate the generation of documentation, procedures, registers and even employ extra staff to administer the ‘system’. In many cases, the additional work does…
Information Technology is changing fast, and we need to think differently when applying it to the operations of a business. In the past, business owners would select an IT system to support a set of tasks within the business – CRM, HR, Production orders, Quality – you name it, someone had the software. The problem with this approach…
We are often asked, “how do I know when I have the right number of staff?” Most have too little, some have too many. Staff payments are usually considered an operating expense of the business. As such, we tend to equate less staff with greater profit. In fact, staff payments represent both an operating and investment expense. When staff…
